Putin Proposes Medvedev As Russian Prime Minister

Vladimir Putin, who replaced Dmitry Medvedev as Russian President on Monday, has proposed the latter for the post of Prime Minister.

This was announced by Sergei Naryshkin Speaker of the Russian Duma (Lower House of Parliament) hours after Putin was sworn in as President for the third time in a glittering Kremlin ceremony.

Naryshkin told reporters on Monday that Putin submitted to the State Duma the candidature of Medvedev for the post of Prime Minister.

It is expected that Medvedev will win the vote at an extraordinary session of the ruling United Russia party-dominated State Duma on Tuesday, during which Medvedev will hold consultations with the four State Duma factions.

Medvedev, who stepped down as President on Monday after four years in office, is set to take over from Putin as party chief next month.

After holding the Presidency for two consecutive terms from 2000 to 2008, Putin proposed his protege Medvedev as his successor for the 2008 presidential elections, since the country's Constitution does not allow a President running for a third consecutive term.

In return, Medvedev nominated Putin as his Prime Minister.

Putin first put forward the idea of a job swap with Medvedev at the annual Party Congress in September last year. Medvedev agreed to switch roles with Putin in the event of the latter's victory at presidential polls in 2012.

Earlier in the day, Police arrested some of 150 detractors who protested against the return to the presidency by Putin, who is still considered as the most powerful political leader in Russia.